


divisi/unisono

by sunwukong



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bands, M/M, Mixed Media, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-15
Updated: 2015-07-19
Packaged: 2018-04-09 10:57:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 4,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4345901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunwukong/pseuds/sunwukong
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Neo Domino music scene is home to rising rock stars and living lyrical legends, but the real question on everyone's mind is, obviously: who's dating who?</p><p>(The 5D's band AU that no one asked for. You're welcome).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. phoenixian

**Author's Note:**

> this is team kizuna's submission to round 3 of the ygo ship olympics! this time the theme was 'feeling the flow' and the bonus was 'music' and we basically flipped those two around, whoops?
> 
> the writing is by bao (sunwukong) and asa (adreus). the lovely illustrations and covers are by [fim](http://fimyuan.tumblr.com). the icons (in future chapters) were provided by [maki](http://aatsuyactic.tumblr.com).
> 
> this entire work is image heavy, so it's best viewed on a laptop or desktop screen! please choose pdf if you are downloading.

_**THE END OF KIZUNA! BLACK ROSE WITCH WEEDS HER WAY IN**_  
_NEO DOMINO—Rock trio Kizuna shocked thousands of indie rock enthusiasts on their Facebook late Friday night by confirming rumors of Kizuna’s disbandment, but it seems a break-up isn’t in the trio’s future. An official press release from industry leader Crimson Dragon Group has declared itself as Yusei Fudo, Jack Atlas, and Crow Hogan’s new label, with the addition of Aki Izayoi—the punk sensation better known as Black Rose Witch—as lead vocalist for new band ‘5D’s’—_

* * *

“I don’t like this.”

Jack’s complaining again. 

He’s been complaining since the moment the three of them were approached with the idea; opened his mouth the second he saw Godwin’s name on the letter, didn’t shut it while he was there or after he left. He complained the first time they met Aki, complained when all of them met again because how dare Yusei be taking this seriously was he even _listening_ to him, and then he even complained when Yusei was the first to sign the deal. 

“Don’t you see what this is getting at?” he says now, pointing emphatically at the article. “We’re _sell-outs_.”

Crow wishes he could just tune Jack out—he’s kind of envious of Yusei, who’s been carefully tuning his guitar against the noise for the better half of fifteen minutes now—but Jack insists on being too loud and too obnoxious for Crow to handle.

“Hey, Jack,” he says, rubbing at his temples, “how about you stop pretending this is new to you, yeah?” 

“ _What_? You ass—”

“It’s going to be an adjustment for all of us.” Yusei pauses and looks up, eyes locking meaningfully with Jack, then Crow, then back again. He says with utmost sincerity, “But this is one step toward our dream.”

“Point,” says Crow, nodding. Yusei smiles and returns to his bass.

Jack tosses the newspaper in the trash and snorts. “You sound like Kiryu.”

At that Yusei freezes, his test note hanging untuned in the air. 

He frowns. Slowly puts his guitar to the side, folds his hands in his lap, looking down. The others watch him, Crow’s eyes only darting away to give Jack a sideways glare.

“Yusei—”

“Don’t,” mutters Yusei, “it’s fine.”

Jack rolls his eyes. Crow’s about to wheel on him, tell him exactly where he can shove it and then turn to Yusei like, _look, Jack is just an idiot, we signed this contract together, didn’t we?_ , but before Crow starts, the three of them are saved by the merciful clicking of heels approaching from down the hall. 

Aki Izayoi slams the door open and the tension away.

She’s in the black boots of her brand, laced tight and tall and—judging from Aki’s expression and the state of her hair—ready to step on anyone or anything that gets in their way. Aki’s aesthetic is punk rock princess, but this, Crow thinks, is less _punk_ and more _if looks could kill_.

“If one more fan yells at me for breaking up their favorite boy band,” she says, stalking up to the stool next to Yusei, “I might actually give them a _real_ reason to hate me.” She crosses her arms without sitting down, glares indiscriminately around the room.

They stare at her.

“What?” Her shoulders drop, anger draining into self-consciousness.

“It’s nothing,” says Yusei, a faint smile at the corner of his mouth. “You surprised us.”

“Yo.” Crow gives her a two-finger salute. “You can kill Jack first.”

Aki blinks. For all her temper at their crazed fans, it doesn’t usually last long around the guys themselves. Now her eyes find Jack, who’s mimicked her earlier gesture but coupled it with a pout and is pointedly looking away. “Uh,” she says, “am I interrupting something?”

“Of course not,” says Yusei. He pats the stool beside him and Aki takes a seat.

“Never,” says Crow.

“Just our _band_ ,” says Jack, but Aki’s a quick learner, so she already knows not to take him seriously.

“Well,” she says, shrugging. “If you say so.”

“We’re glad you’re here,” Yusei smiles, in that way of his that makes you forget that anything else even matters.

“Yeah, having you around definitely makes up for having Jack around, too,” Crow grins. It’s been an adjustment, that much is true—but even Jack has to admit that Aki’s vocals are solid, and that 5D’s sounds damn good.


	2. close to you

**_BEWITCHED! Yusei under Black Rose’s spell?!_ **  
_NEO DOMINO—Yusei Fudo and Aki Izayoi of recently-formed 5D’s look like they’re up to a little more than just “team bonding.” The pair have been spotted out and about the city and leaving the studio together past midnight! Does this blossoming romance spell trouble for the new band? We looked at—_

* * *

“So,” says Crow, looking meaningfully between the two of them, “when’s the wedding?”

At the miserable look on Yusei’s face, Crow grins—he’s always had the most fun with the press—but Aki’s not amused. Slumped in her chair, she closes her eyes and groans, “Please. Please shut up.”

“We aren’t dating,” Yusei clarifies, in case it needed to be spelled out.

“Are you sure?” says Crow, eying the magazine. “‘Cause this reporter is convinced that you two are ‘caught in the throes of a passionate new love.’”

Ribbing Yusei is one thing—even after knowing him for so many years, finding out what makes him tick is still novel—but Aki crosses her arms even tighter across her chest and Crow is pretty sure her glare could bore holes through the floor. They’re supposed to record a new single today—the first song Aki’s penned since the end of her solo career—and he knows how nervous she’s been about it. Rubbing the back of his neck, he remembers something one of his kids once said about _delicacy_.

“Sorry,” he catches her eye when she finally looks up from the floor. “That was too far, huh.”

“It’s fine,” she says, even though it’s obviously not. But she’s stopped clenching her jaw, at least.

“But… hey,” a slow smile stretches across Crow’s face as he walks over to Yusei and slings an arm around him. “Don’t worry about what those press idiots say. Leave it to us, right, Yusei?”

Yusei still looks bewildered, but nods in affirmation anyway.

* * *

  



	3. are you still unsatisfied even though we kiss all the time?

* * *

“WHAT THE FUCK YOU GUYS?”

“I know, right? Look at this hashtag!”

Jack is two seconds away from crushing his phone in his bare hands. “I still. Can’t believe. _You didn’t even tell me_.” He’s not pouting, but Jack’s range of expressions is limited enough that a scowl is the same thing.

“Sorry,” says Yusei as Crow tries and fails to contain his laughter. “We didn’t think you’d mind.”

“ _People have been making memes of my face._ ”

“ _Finally_!” Crow gets out between his laughter. “Someone’s found the one thing you’re good for!” There are tears in Crow’s eyes, and Jack has the nagging suspicion that Crow even made some of them, but, unfortunately, he can’t prove anything.

“Anyway,” says Yusei, “looks like we managed to take the attention off Aki.”

“I feel awful for making you two go through all this trouble,” Aki says, and even while she’s meticulously shredding one of the older magazine articles with sharp, manicured nails, she means it. “But I really do appreciate it.”

Yusei just smiles at her. “We all have to help each other out. We’re a team now.”

“Yeah,” says Crow, grinning. “No problem. Just taking one for the team—I mean, all that kissing Yusei’s handsome face is really _such_ a chore.”

“This is _idiotic_. You all need to think more about our public image. We can’t just trade one tabloid headline for another!” Jack’s frowning so deeply as he scrolls through his Twitter feed that Crow wants to tell him his expression will get stuck that way, but it basically already is, so. 

“Come on, Jack,” Crow waves a hand dismissively. “It’s no big deal. We make good music. What else matters?”

“I should’ve figured you were too simple to understand.” Jack still hasn’t put down his phone.

“Whatever, man,” Crow says, shrugging. “Anyway, I gotta split.” Pulling himself out of the lounge chair, he grabs his keys off the table, twirls them once around his finger, and plants a quick kiss on Yusei, because, hey, let no one say Crow Hogan does things halfway.

“Can you guys _chill_?” Jack yells as Crow heads out the door.

Crow only snickers at Jack’s outburst as Rua, their resident teenage roadie-slash-groupie, rushes past him into the room, arms laden with posters for them to sign.

“Wow, Jack, did you know your face is everywhere?!” Even from outside, Crow can hear Rua’s genuine excitement. With him, the novelty of their line of work never really wears off, even years after he and his sister accidentally met Yusei passed out on their lawn one morning in the Tops. 

Yusei doesn’t drink much anymore.

Anyway, Crow loves that kid. It’s a shame Jack is probably going to murder him with a Sharpie now.

* * *

  


  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to make your very own custom Jack memes with this handy-dandy [blank template.](https://40.media.tumblr.com/5d0fa2fa6ec0a40345d87cbb1b40977d/tumblr_nrip90ER8d1tuzf5ho6_r1_1280.jpg) We only ask that you share your inevitable comedic brilliance with us in the comments!


	4. Stardust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We don't want any nasty surprises, so as a warning, **the external link in this chapter leads to a page with repeating moving gifs and autoplay.** Careful clicking!

Three years before the first Jack meme graced the internet, Yusei was singing something under his breath, hunched over scattered music scores and smudged lyrics.

Jack, who’d been leaning against the doorframe, frowned. 

“Louder,” he said. “So I can hear it.”

Yusei’s head whipped around. “Jack. I didn’t realize you were there.” 

Jack was annoyed—he’d slammed the door when he got home, hadn’t Yusei noticed? But getting Yusei’s attention when he’d set his mind on something was a lost cause, Jack knew that, and lately it wasn’t as bad as it had been in the immediate aftermath of Team Satisfaction’s breakup and the whole Kiryu mess.

Yusei turned around in his chair, pencil tucked behind his ear, holding a sheet of paper. Jack wondered if he’d refuse, but instead, he opened his mouth and sang. _“I collect my dreams in the palm of my hand, and someday they’ll connect me to you.”_

Jack was at a loss for words. Yusei’d never been much of a lyricist, too straightforward for the kind of poeticism it usually required. If the sincerity of it wasn’t bad enough already, Yusei ducked his head and said, “I was wondering if you’d help me with it. I thought it might sound good as a duet. Maybe.”

The idea was so ridiculously sentimental, Jack was only surprised Yusei hadn’t thought of it earlier. (Still, he couldn’t help but be pleased, no matter the flutter in his heart that was absolutely not there.) He took the sheet of paper from Yusei, hummed the tune to himself. “We can make it better.”

Yusei called the song “Stardust.” Jack only accepted the stupid name as a working title because he couldn’t totally shoot it down when Yusei said it so seriously. They worked, sitting with their heads together on the bed next to the desk, for an hour, before Jack was enough of an idiot to say, “Let’s put this on our next album.”

Yusei’s fingers froze on his laptop keyboard where he was compiling their score. A beat, and then, “I wasn’t planning on a next album.”

Jack capped his pen with more force than intended. “Yusei, how long has it been since you thought about your career? You can’t just stop now. _I’m_ certainly not gonna just stop now.”

“I think that’s great for you, Jack,” said Yusei. Even moreso than dodging the actual point, the worst part was that he meant it entirely.

Jack clenched his fists and gritted out, “When are you going to get over Kiryu?” 

It was a low blow. He knew that. But he also knew that Yusei wouldn’t call him out on it.

Instead: “Kiryu’s my friend.” They’d been more than that, before. “He’s your friend, and Crow’s, still.”

“Yeah, fat lot of good friendship did for him when they threw him in jail.”

Yusei’s mouth was set in a tight line, and Jack could imagine the kind of idiotic, guilty inner monologuing running through his head.

“Look,” he started, but Yusei leaned over his laptop, put his hand on Jack’s cheek, and ridiculous as it was, Jack felt his anger drain out of him. They’d been over it too many times already, explosively, tensely, tiredly, and they were both too stubborn for it to lead anywhere.

So he let Yusei lean over the rest of the way and press a soft kiss to the side of his mouth.

“We can talk about it later,” Yusei said. “The next album.”

They never ended up talking about it, but Jack had expected that. His next album was his solo debut.

* * *

**[Tags |** jack atlas, jackxyusei, yusei fudo]  
**[Current Mood |** pleased]  
**[Current Music |** Stardust (acoustic) - Jack Atlas]

**by** **fortunefairy in** **kizunashipping**

I finally finished it!! :) I spent all last night putting the final touches to my analysis of “Sync or Swim” and what it has to do with Jack and Yusei’s relationship! I even made a super cool header for it using word art!!

As you guys know I’ve been a fan of kizuna (and JackxYusei) since Jack’s solo career…

...so I’ve been following them for a _looooong_ time! This analysis has lyrics from all of his old songs, so I put together a playlist on YouTube.

**[( It's all behind the fake cut!! )](http://masterof-faster.tumblr.com/) **

**TELL ME A FORTUNE? | 3 FORTUNES**

—

**From:** **no1_atlas_sama_fan_mikage**  
sweetie your rarepair is shit (:

—

**From:** **bandlesscombos**  
lol why does no one ever remember team satisfaction? i liked jack before he went mainstream :/

—

**From: anonymous**  
what kind of masochist do you have to be to listen to jack atlas’ solo album??? the only saving grace of that overproduced garbage was stardust tbh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _We got hurt, and learned_   
>  _The way to become[stronger](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSj3L5a_GHE)_


	5. Sync or Swim

“Stop making out after that song that Yusei obviously wrote about our breakup.”

“Uh,” says Crow, “good morning to you, too?”

Jack grunts and comes down the stairs. He’s only up so late today because he didn’t feel like talking or being talked to, but eventually the hunger and boredom caught up to him—plus, even if you’re mad at your housemates, there’s only so long you can stare angrily at the ceiling not having had breakfast. Especially when Crow’s just a floor below making the kind of pancakes-bacon-eggs-and-toast full spread that they rarely had when they were playing out of their garage and juggling at least two part-time jobs each.

Yusei’s at the table, working on a song. He’s apparently insisted on using pen and paper today; his hands are stained with ink and when Jack squints at the sheet, he thinks he sees some Japanese. Now he looks up. “What?”

“Everyone knows it’s about us, Yusei. Just back off on this one, okay?” Jack sees Yusei’s fingers tighten around his pen.

“Why don’t _you_ back off, huh?” Crow interjects, hand on hip and pointing with a spatula. “It was only once, anyway. Get over yourself.”

“It’s okay,” says Yusei to Crow, but his eyes are locked on Jack’s. It might have been unfair of Jack to bring it up: Yusei hadn’t wanted to record “Sync or Swim” in the first place. He’d only shared it when they’d been in a tight spot with their contract, hadn’t looked Jack in the eye for the rest of the day afterwards, but it’d been _for the good of the band._

Still, that never stopped it from stinging when they included the song as part of their sets. Jack wonders if it’s the same for Yusei, the bitterness and the guilt. (He thinks it must’ve been worse for Yusei to hear “Stardust” on the radio for the first time—too close and yet not close enough to the duet they’d written together—after Jack had walked out of their apartment in the early morning with a USB stick of musical scores in his pocket.)

“It was for the band to begin with, so if it bothers you that much, we’ll stop,” says Yusei.

He’s always been too accommodating. If Jack were honest with himself, maybe he wanted Yusei to put up more of a fight. But he doesn’t dwell on it. Instead, he takes all of the bacon and half of the pancakes that Crow’s made for breakfast back to his room to eat alone.

* * *

| 

  1. Ozone
  2. Morphtronic (Dial On)
  3. Re-spark
  4. You Say Go
  5. -/+
  6. Escape from Arcadia
  7. Sync or Swim
  8. Gathering Wishes

  
---|---


	6. future f(x)

**Domino Music TV:** We’ve all been speculating about your band name—5D’s, but there are only four of you? Could you give us a little insight into how the name came about?  
**Yusei Fudo:** It was Jack’s idea, actually—but I like to think the fifth one is for our tech crew. We couldn’t do what we do without them.

* * *

“So are Yusei and Crow really…” Bruno’s supposed to be taking notes on the acoustics of the venue, but mostly he’s staring vaguely at the ceiling looking like a dejected puppy.

Ruka looks up from where she and Rua are double-checking the audio lines onstage. “No, they just kiss sometimes. They’ve been doing that forever… but onstage is new.”

“Kinda weird, huh,” Rua snickers.

“No one asked you,” Ruka goes back to checking the lines and Rua huffs and protests that _he asked both of us, okay!_ as Ruka plugs in the last mic. The twins say they’re 16 and Bruno still doesn’t know whether or not they’re actually employed legally, but he’s never even heard them check in with any parents when the band plays until 3 AM. He sees the fond way Yusei smiles at them, so he doesn’t question it.

“So he’s not dating Aki and he’s not dating Crow,” Bruno confirms, acoustics all but forgotten.

“He’s been single as long as we’ve known him. And before that, too, I think.” Rua’s an encyclopedia of band trivia, and his eyes still light up whenever he gets to restring Jack’s guitar.

“You two are just as bad as those gossip rags,” Ruka chastises.

Bruno isn’t one for retorts, but even if he were, he’s already too busy thinking about Yusei’s confirmed single status to pay Ruka’s exasperation any mind. If Yusei isn’t dating Aki or Crow, that means he can date _him._ And if they date, Bruno can propose, and then they can get married and honeymoon in Silicon Valley and settle down in a ridiculously overpriced apartment and maybe they can even start a family. But on second thought, Bruno’s always been too clumsy to be good with kids, so maybe they could raise two and a half roombas and—

Yes. This could work.

His deliberation over what to name their roomba children (Johnny? Jose?) is interrupted by the other would-be roomba father. Yusei steps out onto the stage, making a sweeping appraisal of the venue before greeting Bruno and the twins.

“So, what do you think, Bruno?” Yusei nods his head toward where the audience will be seated.

Bruno doesn’t say _I think you should date me._ Instead, he explains with as little jargon as he can manage that the ceiling might make tonight’s show tricky, but that Yusei—and the rest of the band, of course!—could count on him and his trusty mixing board.

Yusei flashes him a thumbs-up and says, “You’ll have to show me what you do with that thing someday.”

Bruno’s heart skips a beat, and he has to tell himself he is totally capable of playing it cool. “Any time you’re free!”

Yusei smiles and Bruno fumbles around for another topic of conversation. “What kind of music have you been listening to lately?” he asks. Open-ended, neutral territory. He’s got this.

“I’ve actually had Antinomy’s latest track stuck in my head,” Yusei says. “What do you think about him?”

Jack chooses that exact moment to stomp onstage and demand to know whether or not his equipment is set up to a standard befitting of a king.

“I don’t think you’ll have any complaints,” says Bruno—if not much else, he has absolute confidence in his technical skills. But he mourns his brief conversation with Yusei.

“You’d better hope I don’t,” Jack declares. He looks at Yusei and says, in the same decisive tone, “Also, Antinomy is terrible and overrated and nobody should’ve ever let him put his hands on a synthesizer.”

He exits without even looking in Bruno’s direction again or waiting for a response from Yusei. The King always has to have the last word, apparently.

* * *


	7. h e a r t b e a t

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _These wild impulses can't be stopped by anyone_   
>  _The struggle is breathtaking and it's increasing my[heartbeat](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SutM0JQfSbo)._

**_HEARTBEAT OR HEARTBREAK? Antinomy calls new duet with Yusei “meant to be”_**  
_NEO DOMINO — “I’m really excited,” Antinomy said in a phone interview with DominoBeats. “I’d never collaborated before, but me and Yusei really hit it off, this is a really great track that I hope everyone will enjoy.” When asked if he’d consider another collab with Yusei Fudo, bassist of the band 5D's, Antinomy gave an enthusiastic, “Yes. Definitely, yes, this was really meant to be.” “Heartbeat,” Antinomy and Yusei’s collaborative effort, was uploaded without fanfare on YouTube. But the less-than-formal debut of the track didn’t stop fans from tuning in in the millions—_

###### OH NO THEY DIDN’T!

**5D’s drama (again!!)**

looks like all those romance rumors are getting to our new favorite reality-show-worthy quartet, 'cause not only are people wondering if crow and yusei are breaking up...they're wondering if the whole band is breaking up!

at this point, i honestly want to know: do these guys even make music, or are they too busy playing speed dating?

**[(check out yusei’s new flavor of the week under the cut!)](http://adreus.tumblr.com/post/117658059423/fuckyeahygomads-5ds) **

TAGGED: music / musician, 5D’s, yusei fudo, antinomy

  
  


**Neo Domino Trends**  
#YuseiDontGo  
#OutOfSync  
#4Ds  
#Heartbeat  
Yusei Fudo  


* * *

“This… is kind of a mess, isn’t it?”

“Kind of?” Jack is more than a little pissed; at his full height, he’s trying his best to be intimidating, but Yusei is being infuriatingly calm. “We’re a _new band_ , Yusei! Like all that bullshit with Aki and then Crow wasn’t enough? Can you focus? We’re losing sales to Ragnarok and you’re off doing weirdly sensual collabs with EDM douchebags!”

“It’s not _bad_ press,” Yusei points out.

“How is your nuclear disaster of a love life _not bad press_?!” Jack slams his hands down on their table so hard that his cup flies and shatters, to which he groans and throws up his arms, stalking to the other end of the room. “You’re _hopeless._ ”

Crow, sitting beside Yusei, winces. “I never thought I’d say this, but…” He looks over at Jack, who’s furiously kicking at their trashbin, magazines with Yusei’s face on their covers pouring out in spades. “Jack’s right, Yusei. Negative attention isn’t good for anyone, you know?” He doesn’t have to say, _remember what happened to Kiryu?_. Sighing, he reaches over to pat Yusei’s cheek. “And I’m not just saying that ‘cause there’s suddenly another man in the picture.”

“I don’t see what’s wrong with making connections,” Yusei says, shying away from Crow’s gesture in a way that makes his words more defensive than certain. “We used to literally be called _bonds._ ”

“Yeah, _our_ bonds!” Jack is fuming. “Not bonds with some asshole who never takes off his tacky mirrored sunglasses!”

Yusei’s had years of experience standing headfirst against Jack’s anger, though, and he says, “I trust him as a musician.”

“That’s exactly your fucking problem, Yusei!” Jack yells. He’s pacing so violently the furniture shakes. “You think that if you _believe_ enough, everything will be perfect and everyone will be a good person! Why can’t you get a grip?!”

“Dammit, Jack!” Crow’s massaging his temples, the way he always does around Jack. “I’m not backing you up if you’re gonna be like that. If we’re gonna get _personal_ , I think _you’re_ the one who needs a get a grip.”

“Whatever. I should’ve expected you to side with Yusei seeing as you two still can’t keep your fucking hands to yourselves.”

“Oh?” says Crow, eyebrow raised. “That’s what this is about, then?”

Jack wheels on Crow, stomps up to him and grabs him by the shirt collar. “It’s _about_ the fact that nobody in this band cares about how they’re screwing us all over. Shit like this doesn’t just blow over!”

“Yeah?” Crow spits out, jerking out of Jack’s grip. “Well, you can’t always have it your way, King. The door’s right there. Go ahead, break up another band!”

“Don’t fucking tempt me,” Jack growls.


	8. Heir to the Throne

_**RETURN OF THE KING?! Jack Atlas storms out on 5D’s!**_  
_HEARTLAND — 5D’s was 1D short of 5 when the band opened the FEELIN’ THE FLOW festival in Heartland last night, as Jack Atlas stormed out from the trailer before the show, sources say. Yusei Fudo, Crow Hogan, and Aki Izayoi were forced to play the set without their meme prince, which brings everyone to the question—is this the end of 5D’s?!_

* * *

Crow dismounts the bike from where he’d been sitting behind Yusei and pulls off his helmet. He runs a hand through his hair, now even more of a bird’s nest than usual after a long day’s practice.

“Thanks for the ride, Yusei.”

Yusei nods at him, eyes shadowed behind the visor of his own helmet. Crow has his own bike; they’d shared rides before, but they’d started doing it more after the gossip mill had turned its eye on “lovebirds.” It’d become a comfortable habit, and the ever-present frugal part of Crow’s mind approves of saving a few bucks on gas.

Crow heaves a sigh, scuffing the ground with his boot. “This sucks.”

He’s not talking about the ride situation—that part is still pretty great. But everything is weird and too quiet without Jack around: nobody to complain about his toast being too toasted at breakfast, nobody to yell at Crow for playing rimshots after particularly stupid statements, nobody to claim the shower for the better part of an hour without asking when they all arrived home, exhausted from the day. Even Aki had been on edge, unsure how to respond to the thick tension in the studio.

Yusei dismounts the bike, too, giving it a meticulous once-over before much more carelessly slapping the dust from the road off his jeans. “It was Jack’s decision,” he says. “I believe in him.”

“I believe in his ability to be shitty and terrible,” Crow says, but without Jack around to hear it, it lacks the usual bite. Neither of them are sure where Jack’s holed himself up for the past few days, but Crow wonders if Yusei also checked the windows of their building as they’d approached, hoping to see the lights on inside.

Yusei hasn’t tried to check up on Jack, he’d just said, _He’ll go where his path takes him._ Crow hasn’t tried, either, mostly because being the first one to cave and reach out is basically like losing. He refuses to concede to Jack’s ego.

Still—not that he’ll tell Jack, whenever he comes crawling back—it really does suck.

* * *

| 

  1. bonds
  2. the chair
  3. red carpet
  4. satellite
  5. planetarium
  6. i built this for you
  7. daedalus

  
---|---


	9. prodigal

Onscreen, the interviewer from Domino Music Television tries her best to come off as casual and friendly as she asks Yusei what, exactly, happened to everyone’s favorite lovebirds?

Yusei, to his credit, remains unaffected. “We’re not a couple anymore. We realized it just wasn’t the best thing for the band,” he smiles, small, and goes on, “We’re still as close as ever. We still love each other, and we love everyone else—all our bonds—just as much.”

“Tch.” 

Jack turns away from the TV and adjusts his aviators. He knows the interviewer’s next question will be about whether or not the band is really done for, and he’s never understood how Yusei can say things like that with such a serious face. And honestly, how dare his _favorite_ cafe play such a useless channel? It’s a personal betrayal, really. Doesn’t the management here know who he _is_? He should complain. In fact, he should drop their star rating on Yelp.

Jack pulls out his phone with newfound purpose.

* * *


	10. YAKUSOKU NO MELODY

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Authors' choice of sentimental reading soundtrack!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_ri3nPzM50)

“Welcome back,” says Yusei. Crow knows from firsthand experience that being on the receiving end of the fond smile Yusei’s giving Jack is a little like looking into the sun. Jack looks hilariously uncomfortable. Everything feels just like it should.

“I knew you couldn’t stay away for long!” Crow grins. The three of them are in the studio, waiting for Aki to show up. “Hope you’re ready to bust your ass twice as hard now that you’ve put our recording schedule a week behind.” He waves a stack of sheet music in front of Jack’s face threateningly.

Jack tries to ignore it. “It’s not my problem if you’re all useless without me.”

“Can you believe this guy? Maybe we should just kick him out of the band for real and prove him wrong.” Crow snorts.

“Maybe I should leave _for real_ this time!” yells Jack, and he turns with comical flourish toward the door.

Crow catches Yusei’s eye. Jack’s already halfway out the door when they catch him by the arms and drag him back inside. He could throw them both off easily if he were serious about leaving, but just this once, Crow doesn’t mind indulging the temper tantrum.

Jack grumbles, but he stays put.

“You know,” says Yusei to Jack, amusement clear in the tilt of his smile, “I didn’t realize you were that mad about me and Crow.”

Jack wants to look indignant. But then Yusei’s pulling him down by his shoulders and rocking forward on the tips of his toes, and by the time Yusei presses his lips to Jack’s, Crow thinks he deserves an award for the herculean effort of not bursting into laughter at Jack’s shocked expression.

Yusei pulls back, leaving his hands on Jack’s shoulders. “There. Now we’re even.”

Crow’s about to pull Jack away for his turn—just to be fair, after all, _one_ kiss is nowhere near even—but Jack opens his mouth and starts yelling instead, and then Crow really can’t do anything but laugh.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> always and always [♥](http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/YAKUSOKU_NO_MELODY)
> 
> Thank you so much for making it to the end of this labor of love! **If you liked it, you can put in a vote for us in round 3 of the[YGO Ship Olympics](https://ygoshipolympics.dreamwidth.org/) right over [here](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1YzAXSksVobeGkvqMkHDRV6uNxuCE_lVH5Dx3aZvDpmA/viewform)! ** We're Kizunashipping Submission 2 and you can check out everyone's submissions for that round [here](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nly6MUyhLDji_0iS-9AZR_k-ajLLOOdebaAS1rWL71E/edit#gid=0) :)
> 
> You can also give this fic a reblog at tumblr through [here!](http://adreus.tumblr.com/post/124556224938/i-really-loved-this-round-of-ygoshipolympics)
> 
> We all had such a great (sometimes hysterical, sometimes out-of-our-minds) time working on this, and we're so so incredibly grateful to anyone who gave it a read.


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